When anime fans think about love stories, we have to imagine that Berserk isn’t high on the list of options. While Guts and Casca are akin to Romeo and Juliet in the sheer amount of tragedy that they have to go through in order to be together, Kentaro Miura’s epic franchise is one that focuses far more on bloody battles than romance. Nevertheless, the publishers of Berserk’s manga, Young Animal, have a big rollout later this week as not only is the Band of the Hawk planning a comeback but has a special surprise for fans as well.
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When last we left Berserk’s manga, things weren’t looking great for Guts and his current allies. With Casca kidnapped by Griffith as the White Hawk continues to assemble his army consisting of humans and demons alike, the Eastern Empire of Kushan isn’t going to take this formation lying down. After running into the Black Swordsman, the foreign land is planning to bring the war to Griffith’s doorstep. Unfortunately, Kushan’s plans have encountered a serious monkey wrench as not only has one of Griffith’s top assassins arrived in the Eastern Empire, but swaths of demons have done the same. The dark manga has even hinted at the arrival of a member of the Godhand, raising the stakes for Guts and company to a ludicrous degree.
[RELATED: Collecting Berserk Drives Guts & Casca Further Apart With This Collector’s Item]
Berserk’s Big February
Not only is the next chapter of Berserk’s manga, Chapter 379, being released in Japan on February 14th, but Chapter 380 is also set to arrive later this month. Releasing on February 28th, it’s a good sign that writer Kouji Mori and the artists at Studio Gaga are continuing to work hard on the series with chapters released in pairs. While the creative team has yet to reveal when the series might release its grand finale, recent chapters have been hinting at the idea that Guts and company might finally be in their endgame.
Following the tragic passing of Berserk creator Kentaro Miura, Mori and Gaga have been attempting to live in the major shadow of the mangaka. While it will always be an uphill battle, recent installments have proven that the creative team is one that is pulling out all the stops to pay tribute to their departed friend. It was a difficult decision for the writer and artists as to whether they should continue Berserk but ultimately, they felt the need to end Guts’ story as a tribute to Miura.
Where Is A Berserk Anime?
While Berserk’s manga might be planning a big comeback twice over this month, all is quiet when it comes to a potential anime adaptation. The most recent example was Berserk: Memorial Edition, a compilation series that took footage from the trilogy of Golden Age films. The series did incorporate new footage that was originally left on the cutting room floor, but fans are still dying for a new entry that would cover vast swaths of the manga that have yet to be animated.
The 2016 anime adaptation remains one of the most controversial examples of anime in the medium as many Berserk fans felt the animation wasn’t up to par with Kentaro Miura’s work. Fingers crossed that we’ll one day see the Black Swordsman and the Band of the Hawk hit the small screen once again.
Want to see what the future holds for the Band of the Hawk? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Berserk and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
